News

THE anti-fracking campaign at Fernhurst has moved to distance itself from the victimisation of village landowners who are leasing a site for an exploratory well to drill for oil and gas.

The move comes after the Observer highlighted a
campaign of terror being waged against Robin and Carla Barnes on whose
Nine Acre Copse field Celtique Energie are about to submit a planning
application.

They have been threatened and ostracised by a section
of the community and Celtique Energie boss Geoff Davies has condemned
what he described as the ‘venom’ being thrown at them.

At a public
meeting held by Frack Free Fernhurst (FFF) one of the campaign leaders
Marcus Adams said: “I want to make it personally very clear neither
myself nor anybody else at Frack Free Fernhurst has encouraged or countenanced any action because Robin and Carla.

“It
is their decision what they have done with their land. I personally
don’t agree with it, but it’s their decision and we are certainly not
advocating that people should take action against those two individuals
or their family or their property.”

Mr Adams took issue with Mr
Davies’ claim Celtique Energie was consulting with Fernhurst over its
plans to drill: “He talks about the surgeries he is having to engage
with the people of Fernhurst,” he said.

“Aside from the exhibition in June there have been two surgeries and 18 people have had the pleasure of discussing these proposals.”
The company had been invited to attend Friday’s meeting by FFF and MP
Andrew Tyrie : “But despite us asking them many times they have
absolutely refused to engage in any debate.”